The effects o of t technology gy o on migr gration a and i integration: What t do we k know a about t migrants’ s’ pe persp spec ectives? s? Marie McAuliffe Head, Migration Policy Research Division Metropolis Conference 27 June 2019
Tech chnology as a game ch changer • Digital technology is fundamentally reshaping economies, social interactions and collective security • The Fourth Industrial Revolution 1 ‐ Velocity ‐ Breadth and depth ‐ Systems impact • ICT impacting all areas of society e.g. financial sector, political/governance, health sector, communications, transportation, services, socialization… …and migration Disclaimer: Views expressed are the presenter’s 1 Schwab, 2017. and do not necessarily reflect those of IOM
Migran ants i include… 258 m 8 million i n interna nationa nal migrants, s, or just 3 3.4% 4% o of globa bal p popul ulation n (UN DESA, 2017) ‐ Includes all foreign born regardless of demography, policy category or immigration status 740 740 m million i inter ernal m migrants s (UNDP, 2009); 41 m million I IDPs (IDMC, 2019) Higher concentrations of migrants in some regions/countries ‐ traditional “immigration” countries (e.g. Canada, Australia, US, NZ) ‐ traditional “guest worker” countries (e.g. UAE, Qatar, KSA) ‐ Refugee/displacement countries (e.g. currently Syria, Turkey, Afghanistan, Uganda)
Global internet and mobile telephone access, 1995 to 2014 100 Internet users (per 100 90 people) 80 Mobile cellular 70 subscriptions (per 100 people) 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 1995 2000 2005 2010 2014 Source: ITU data; graph from IOM World Migration Report 2018 , p. 153
Migration & & technology o y overview • Technology increasingly used throughout the ‘migration cycle’ • Key areas: • Migrant decision making and preparation • The act of migrating: the ‘appification’ of migration and mobility • Border management technology • Integration, reintegration and migrants’ (digital) (virtual) (transnational) identities • Migration, technology and public debates • Analysing migration dynamics: technology in migration research and analysis
Migration & & technology o y overview • Technology increasingly used throughout the ‘migration cycle’ • Key areas: • Migrant decision making and preparation • The act of migrating: the ‘appification’ of migration and mobility • Border management technology • Integration, transnational • Migration, technology and public debates • Analysing migration dynamics: technology in migration research and analysis
‘’Migrant tech ech’’ What it mea eans…. …. 1. Migrants’ use of technology 2. Technology developed by migrants to support others navigate migration and integration processes Can also encompass migrants working in the tech sector Sources: UNU, 2018; UNESCO, 2019. Photo: themepap
‘’Migrant tech ech’’ …why it matters Important because: ‐ empowers those who are exploited/abused (or at risk of) ‐ expands access to migrant services (e.g. legal advice) ‐ supports protection of migrants throughout the cycle ‐ migrant voices can be heard ‐ points to gaps, weaknesses and problems in systems ‐ can improve quality of services/experiences for migrants and non‐ migrants Sources: UNU, 2018; UNESCO, 2019.
Migrant decis ecisio ion‐makin ing & IC ICT Growing body of academic and applied research 1 • ‐ Builds on ‘decision making’ literature ‐ Focus on irregular migration and migrant smuggling ‐ Role of non‐state actors’ / online interactions with migrants ‐ Information ‘campaigns’/social media in origin and transit ‐ Demographic aspects (age and gender) Key findings • ‐ ICT increasingly prevalent, although access uneven ‐ Trust in information/content (close friends, family, ethnic group highest) ‐ Can compound social pressures to migrate Examples: Crawley & Hagen‐Zanker, 2018; Jayasuriya, McAuliffe & Iqbal, 2016; Mbaye, 2017; Maroufof, 2017; Triandafyllidou, 2017
Appification of m migration Real‐time information available on personal devices • Fundamentally changing migrants’ • navigation of systems/processes Recent events have brought the • issue into sharp relief ‐ Displacement from Venezuela ‐ Migrant ‘caravans’ through Central America ‐ Mass movement to and through Europe in 2015/2016 Photo: IOM
Tech & & integration Tech is becoming pivotal in successful integration. Migrants use tech to: Reconnect and maintain sociocultural networks back home; • Familiarize themselves with and adjust to new environments; • Explore information and provide various support services; • Retrieve health information; • Enhance children’s education; • Entertain people in their leisure time. • What Motivates Immigrants for ICT Adoption and Use?: A Systematic Review of the 21st Century Literature (2001-2017) by Bhanu Bhakta Acharya, University of Ottawa
Tech & h & transn snational f families es Mobile money apps to remit • Skype and WhatsApp parenting • Social change • ‐ feminization of migration ‐ family decision‐making ‐ children left behind ‐ children as household providers ‐ split families Sources: Beazley, 2017; Hoang, 2019; Khoo, Platt and Yeoh, 2017; Lam, 2019. Photo: Travis Isaacs
Key i issues f for or m migrants Empowerment and self‐agency • Social connections – home, transit, • destination Economic advancement – • households/communities Quality of information/advice • Risk & unsafe journeys • (Mis)trusted sources • Personal data • Access to ICT • Photo: K.C. Wong
Key i issues f for or policy olicy and p practi tice ce Migrant vulnerability and exploitation / Safety from • persecution Irregular migration and border management / Unsafe • migration (abuse, migrant deaths) Regulation / ‘fake news’ and ‘disinformation’ • Tailoring information and services / competition for talent •
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